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Guys, just watched the Eng subbed Episode 42. The kind soul that helped with the subbing, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Seriously, our Min-Min is so clever and very brave, standing up to those old Ming sect members. She's so right though - ZR attempted suicide and everyone is so concerned and blinded. WJ's godfather pushed for their engagement, WJ's grandfather pushed for the wedding. (Big Sigh!!)

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Chapter 5 is totally self-indulgent and an expansion of "The Rain Scene" and what I wanted to see unfold onscreen, so basically, lots of fluff and some angst. Moreso for my writing and fangirl pleasure than actual plot advancement, but Chapter 6 is half-written and back on track, so stay tuned, folks

Title: Unfortunately

Chapter 5:

妳便是我命運安排的人

You are the one fate has arranged for me.

--

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

Spoiler

That night as Wu Ji gets ready for bed, he plays over the scene in the forest and still finds that something seemed amiss. He can't pinpoint it, why there was an air of familiarity with the maiden in white. Her Mongolian outfit had similarities to his Hanfu, and her martial arts technique resembled honed skills curated from the Central Plains.

Wu Ji has a nagging feeling in his stomach that refuses to go away, so he tries to distract himself by cleaning.

He starts fiddling with the blanket on his bed, then the pillow, and when that tires quickly, he switches to the other objects in the room.

As Wu Ji begins to sort through the clothes he had placed in a chest by the wall, he freezes when happening upon the outfit he had purposely hidden away deep in his baggage. It wasn't supposed to be out of its concealed cloth.

Wu Ji hesitates, but eventually reaches for the robe threaded with silken gold on ivory cotton. The layering piece is of a light blue similar to the fabric wound tightly around his wrist.

He takes it out of the drawer, careful not to unravel the folded layers. His hand runs across the delicate surface as he recalls the days leading up to its conception.

She’d had a hand in its distinguished style, but not without much prior fanfare.

Wu Ji hears her pacing around the room they share. He is in the middle of folding the thick comforter that has suitably served as his mock-bed during their extended stay. The wooden bench across the room would have been the more comfortable option, but Wu Ji had wanted to be as close to her bed as possible during the roughest parts of the past eight nights.

Today, he finally feels at ease to start planning for their trip back to Ming Sect, even if just in his head.

They had stayed longer than either of them had anticipated, but this time, he wasn’t going to let her even step foot outside until he was certain she was healthy.

Just as Wu Ji had worried, she did indeed catch a cold the very same night he returned from Shao Lin.

From underneath his paper umbrella, he’d spotted her in the middle of the wet and crowded street, a solitary silhouette searching endless faces for him in the pouring rain. When she recognized him, the gratitude in her smile was luminous, but all Wu Ji could remember was feeling angry.

He had just lost his Yi Fu to Buddha’s teachings, to a life of revenge and subsequent repentance. Now, seeing her endure this storm when she had promised him to stay well and get better made him livid.

Wu Ji couldn’t lose her, too.

He sprinted towards her, not realizing when his heart had begun racing so fast. His voice matched his vehemence. “Why are you out here drenched in the rain?”

His unoccupied hand automatically came up to check on her, and Wu Ji had to use the gravity of his touch to confirm that she was real and fine and well.

His tone had been more severe than he intended for it to be, and he’d tried to make her understand, but even that came out abrasively amidst his apprehension. “You obviously know you haven’t recovered from your injuries yet; what are we supposed to do if you catch a cold!? Do you NOT want to live anymore!?”

Blinking away the raindrops blinding her vision, she expressed her contrition through an apology.

Her explanation left Wu Ji in astonishment. He had never heard her voice sound so uncertain. Scared. “I’m sorry… I’ve been standing in the same spot waiting for you. I was afraid that if I walked away for even a second, I’d miss you.”

Wu Ji realizes later that it was a stupidstupidstupid idea to throw away the umbrella when he had just scolded her for standing in the rain, soaking wet.

But in that very moment, he had absolutely no grasp on logic or reason when she was standing there looking at him with such vulnerable sincerity, with enough love to drown Wu Ji mercilessly beneath her watery gaze.

He pulled her into his arms, both of them trembling for different reasons. She was freezing and it only spurred him to hug her tighter.

All Wu Ji wanted was to hide her away forever and do everything in his power to shield her from rainstorms or potential dangers or anything that could possibly hurt her.

Wu Ji’s voice assuaged as he felt a lump in his throat. “You are so silly.”

Later, Wu Ji will think they both must have looked completely foolish hugging in the middle of a torrential downpour with no umbrella or awning to cover them.

Right then, he had only cared about pulling her in even closer to him.

He’d apologized and hoped she could forgive him for the harshness of his tone, clarifying that it had all derived from his concern for her.

She accepted it freely without blame. “I know you mean well.” Her voice was timid, shaky through the thickness of her tears. “It’s just, when I was sicker and couldn’t wait out here for you, I was so scared. I was scared that I'd never see you again.”

Wu Ji grinned and saccharinity flowered in his chest as he pulled away, needing her to recognize all of the affection he bore through just his eyes. “How can that be possible?”

Her hands were so small and so cold as he held them. “How could I not come back? I know you’re here waiting for me. Even if I’m at the end of the Heavens and the edge of the Seas, I will always return to your side.”

The smile that flourished on her face only deepened as he drew her back into him.

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

He was on cold towel and hot medicine duties for almost five days before she regained any color back to her face. By the fourth night, the combination of residual internal damages, suffocating coughs, and looming pneumonia had Wu Ji nearly pleading to every deity he knew.

She had been a shivering, incomprehensible mess, but when she did have a moment of clarity,shewas the one reassuringhim.

Wu Ji didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or just scream.

Instead, he focused on nursing her back to health by staying up late and only catching a few moments of shuteye, by barely doing or eating or focusing on anything else aside from the patient occupying his entire existence.

He had hardly left her side, couldn't let her out of his sight, and by the fifth day, Wu Ji was now the tired, dismal mess.

When he finally caught a glimpse of sleep, they were both stirred awake by her coughs.

Wu Ji was there to grab her hand and immediately recognized the warmth in them again. Then when he touched his hand to her forehead, he was elated that the burning fever had also subsided.

After that morning, Wu Ji had given her (and himself) three more days of vigilant observation, regular pulse checking, and to her dismay, mandatory bed rest to be completely convinced that she was well.

She had put up a small fight, but when noticing the dark, tired circles under Wu Ji’s eyes and rough stubble littering his jaw, she knew she had lost.

Wu Ji can admit that maybe he went a little overboard within those following three days, but he had to make sure she was back to being one hundred percent before he could feel any sort of relief or normality again.

He absolutely couldn't lose her, too.

Today marks day nine, and Wu Ji is happy to be feeling like himself again as well. She, on the other hand, is going a little stir crazy. The pacing hasn’t stopped.

He sits down at the table in the center of the room and pours them two cups of tea.

"Wu Ji ah, what do you think about getting us some new clothes?"

He looks down at his attire, confused. “What do you mean? We just washed these.”

Head still cocked, she crosses her arms and brings one hand up to her face, index finger beginning to tap her lips in way of deep thought. Wu Ji's eyes immediately follow her slim fingers up to said lips, mesmerized by the flush of deep color now that she has mostly recovered.

His own thoughts rush back to their kiss and he suddenly has the urge totaste.

She breaks his spell with her voice.

“I know they’re clean and new, and they were apt for when we were riding on oxcarts and harvesting rice fields… But—” She pauses, spreading out her arms and looking down at herself, those same lips forming a pout as her eyes make it back up to him.

“Don’t you think we should get something a little more appropriately formal to greet your Ming Sect?” Her pout turns into a tiny smirk. “You are, after all, Zhang Jiao Zhu of Ming Sect, almost-leader of all Wu Lin.”

He maybe registers that she is teasing him, but he is stuck in a haze of red red lips and pretty doe eyes. Wu Ji doesn’t know why, but his enchantment by her doesn’t go away and he doesn't think it ever will.

There’s a slight lilt in her tone that implies he has no room for argument, and Wu Ji will comply, but right now, all he can think is, I think you look perfect.

“Wai, Zhang Wu Ji, are you listening to me?”

He snaps out of his fog and nods slowly in a repeated manner. “Uh, y-yeah. Yes. New clothes. Appropriate for Ming Sect.”

The smirk is gone, and she is now smiling at him fondly, knowingly.

Wu Ji knows he is a goner.

Shortly after, they arrive at a fabric store, and Wu Ji is overwhelmed by the huge selection of textiles to choose from. There is an array of shades and hues and tones of colors that all look the same to him, but aredefinitelyjade green andnotemerald green according to the shopkeeper.

She soundly agrees with the salesman, and Wu Ji knows he is outnumbered.

He amusedly watches as she sifts through all the different rolls of linen and cotton and silk with care, discussing the history and production and quality of each one.

Her smile lights up the entire store, and Wu Ji realizes he can’t get enough of when her eyes glisten with joy, especially when they are directed at him.

“Wu Ji ah! What do you think of putting these colors together? I’ve already picked out the fabric for us.” He notes the giddiness in her voice and once again emphasizes his gratitude at the amount of progress her health has regained in the last few days.

“Feel how lightweight and smooth it is!”

She takes his hand, and Wu Ji’s heart skips a beat. Or two. Or ten.

The owner butts in, “It’s made from the finest silkworms in Chang An 長安 and will keep you warm in the winters and cool in the summers with the way the textile wicks.”

And when she haughtily tells him, “I know; that’s why I chose it,” Wu Ji remembers that he is dealing with a Jun Zhu 郡主 after all.

When she turns to Wu Ji, the arrogance is gone and her smile turns shy. “I chose white with gold and light blue accents for you. It’s going to look great on you, Wu Ji ah.”

Her infectious smile reflects on Wu Ji’s face as he nods, eyes focused solely on her.

“Lao ban, we will take these two rolls.” She pulls out the remaining banknotes she’d traded for with her jewelry and pays the shopkeeper. Upon seeing the stacks of paper money, the older man’s eyes perk up.

“Fu ren, you have utmost taste. These are the best my store has to offer. Your husband is very lucky to have such a thoughtful and attentive wife such as yourself.”

At this, Wu Ji can feel blood rush to his face as he peeks over to see that her cheeks are also flushed with a deeper pink. Their eyes meet, both pairs of lips graced with a shared smile, and he notes that neither of them corrects the shopkeeper.

Wu Ji hears her reprimand the owner for being nosey, and she states that he has a deadline of three days or they will come back to demand a full refund and tear his store sign down.

The older man immediately ushers them into different rooms to be measured by his tailors, and once their dimensions are taken down, the owner assures them his workers are the ablest workers in the whole city. Their orders will definitely be completed by the given timeframe.

Wu Ji watches and listens as she meticulously recites and finalizes each and every detail with the shopkeeper, who hangs on to her every word and writes them all down with diligence.

He knows she is putting extra care into his attire, going over threading, embroidery, trim, and more things Wu Ji doesn’t really understand.

What Wu Ji does register is that he agrees with the shopkeeper. He is the luckiest man in the world.

In less than two days, the owner of the tailor shop completes their outfits and delivers the finished clothes directly to their inn.

Wu Ji is amazed at the style and quality of it all.

She is bursting with excitement beside him and hurriedly makes him change into his garbs first.

Wu Ji is suddenly inside the room by himself and all he can do is stare at the pile of neatly folded, newly sewn threads. Next to it is their pre-packed bags, prepared for when they are ready to head back to Ming Sect.

He knows she is waiting, so he tries to shake himself out of the haze enough to put on the first layer. It is exactly as smooth and luxurious as she and the shopkeeper had described.

Silk. Wu Ji has heard of China’s impressive Silk Road, a network and crossroad of merchants infinitely seeking wealth and the powers it could bring them.

He glances back at the modest threads he had taken off, laid out neatly on the bed.

Wu Ji is unexpectedly apprehensive.

He gets flashes of Zhi Ruo and her enthusiasm from civilian chants, and he worries about her insinuation of what she wanted from Wu Ji once they were married. He hears the words Emperor and Sect Leader, and it makes his heart drop into his stomach. The burden these words entail make him anxious for a future he desperately wants to escape from.

These are all the things Wu Ji fears most.

He knows of his obligations as Jiao Zhu, his debt to his country, but once all the responsibilities on his shoulders are accomplished, he simply wants peace.

To Wu Ji, peace means finally being able to walk away. Peace means being with the girl he loves and finding their future together. Peace is freedom 自由自在.

There is a knockknockknock that brings Wu Ji back from his thoughts. He hears her voice come through from the other side of the door and lets the calmness it brings wash over him.

“Wu Ji ah, what’s taking you so long? Can I help?”

She waits for him. She always does.

Wu Ji opens the wooden doors, and she lingers there with a curious look on her face. He doesn’t know how she can ask him if he is okay with just one look and a slight raise of her brow, but his nerves have settled enough to form a smile.

“Will you help me?”

Curiosity fades into concern, but Wu Ji hopes his smile can ease her, if only for just a bit. She nods her head and steps inside the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

He forces the smile to remain on his face, and stands there in the middle of the room, arms slightly spread out, beckoning for her assistance.

She doesn’t move, and Wu Ji starts to feel self-conscious. He realizes he only has his first layer on—no waistband, no adornment, no robe. He feels laid out and exposed under her perceptive gaze, like there is absolutely nothing he can hide behind that she won’t see through.

As he frets, she makes her first deliberate steps toward him, and her uneasy expression morphs into a gentle determination.

She picks up the secondary layer of accented blues, and without exchanging any words, puts the robe on Wu Ji. She slowly helps him one sleeve at a time, her hands smoothing out every wrinkle that forms.

Her touch is electric.

With his arms still up and away from his body, Wu Ji is patient as he waits for her to pick up the matching waistband. The dark leather is stark against the milky complexion of her hands, and he watches as she evenly spaces out her grip on the belt.

She inches close enough to where he can distinctly perceive notes of plum blossoms at full bloom, and Wu Ji closes his eyes to savor the quietness of their proximity.

She first wraps the belt around his front as her arms gradually come around to the back of his waist, forming a half-moon and mock-embrace. She is so close to him, and Wu Ji breathes her in, trying to find his inner balance through her presence. When she wraps the band a second time, her hands meet and settle on his stomach, and she meticulously threads the end of the belt through the loop, fastening it on him.

“Wu Ji ah, it's okay.” Her small hands work methodically and thoroughly, and Wu Ji feels time slow with her words.

“If you don't like it, we can wear our other clothes again.” She reaches up and cups his face with one hand, fingers tenderly caressing his cheek. She nearly whispers. “I just want you to be happy.”

Wu Ji is frozen by her acknowledgment. “I-I'm not—” He finds it difficult to formulate his thoughts, but it seems he doesn't need to.

“I assure you, this doesn't change anything.”

Her gaze is soft under the midday sun peering in through the translucent windows. “Once you are done with what you need to do, we will leave together.”

She rests her head gently on his chest, eyes closing. “I won't let anyone make you wear anything it is you don't want to wear.” Her whisper is faint, but he catches the jest in her tone. “Only I get to do that.”

If Wu Ji could take her away with him in that very moment, he would. He feels an ache in his chest, a throbbing that stems from his inability to do just that.

The tension in his body releases and Wu Ji melds with the warmth of her embrace. She is moored to Wu Ji, an immovable anchor that grounds him in his present state of disquiet.

“Tell me. What do you want?”

Wu Ji is certain the future he envisions is right here in front of him.

There is confidence in his voice when he answers, “I want to wear this.”

She pulls away and beams. “Good. Let me help you finish dressing.” She puts the last layer on him, adding on the finishing touches to his outfit.

“In front of the whole world, you are Zhang Jiao Zhu.” He is in front of the mirror with her next to him, and Wu Ji knows he can get through anything if he has her. “But with me, you are simply my Wu Ji.”

He allows himself a few beats to take everything in. Her strength exudes through every pore in her body, and Wu Ji is lucky enough to be able to absorb it all in, feeding off of this addiction he had never before been able to identify.

What was it about her that had tantalized him from the start? That no matter how many times Wu Ji ran or tried to push her away, he could never succeed? He failed over and over again, even tried to marry someone else to forget about her, yet it was all for naught.

Of every woman Wu Ji has ever met, she was the most beautiful and ruthless, just like his mom had warned him. She had been the root cause of his downfall. This Mongolian Princess who now stands before him in humble clothes and open vulnerability, who had given up everything to be with him, and who understands Wu Ji through and through when even he can’t find his own reflection.

When Wu Ji’s internal and external demands and desires become too much, she is his haven.

“I love you.”

He sees the moment she freezes, lips slightly parted from his sudden confession.

Wu Ji knows he is going to marry this girl.

“Wh-what?”

“I love you.” His voice and eyes do not waver.

Wu Ji is still surprised by how tender her eyes can get when she looks at him and only him. When the tears begin to form and silently roll down her cheeks, he kisses them away. He cups her face with both of his hands and tastes every single drop with his lips, gentle and sweet. She closes her eyes, lashes fanning out stark against her skin and his, as Wu Ji’s lips travel from the edges of her bottom lash, down her cheek, and finally stopping at her cupid’s bow.

It starts out as a small, soft peck at the tip of her upper lip and morphs into hands resting in her hair and at the nape of her neck, heads tilting to melt into an arousing kiss.

It is nothing like their first kiss with all of Wu Ji’s pent-up passion boiling to the surface with nowhere to escape but through her. The kiss was untamed, unrestrained, directed by a young man’s eagerness to finally being able to have what he had been denied for so long. What he had denied both of them.

Everything he had been running from had finally caught up to him. Everything Wu Ji had wanted, he was able to have.

But this. Wu Ji wants to savor this. He takes his time, caressing her lips with his as they move in provocative unison. The kiss is slow and heady, seconds feeling like hours as Wu Ji concentrates on her honied taste, the feel of her plump lips, and the touch of lips and teeth and tongue, her soft hair framed by the spread of his hands.

Wu Ji takes the opportunity to nibble lightly on her bottom lip.

When he hears her moan, Wu Ji’s heart nearly stops. He uses all of his willpower to pull away, afraid he will take it too far and devour all of her.

They both take several deep breaths, still merely centimeters apart. Wu Ji presses his forehead to hers and kisses her gently on the tip of the nose. She smiles even when her eyes are still closed and it prompts the one on Wu Ji’s face as well.

A contented sigh escapes from her lips and Wu Ji nearly goes in to taste them again. She stops him with one finger to his lips. “If we keep this up, we are never going to leave this place. I still need to change, Wu Ji ah.”

His sigh is less content and more exasperated, but he obliges. Wu Ji steals one last kiss on her cheek before leaving the room, most definitely not thinking about bare skin or red lips or the mole on her chest he had discovered on Snake Island.

After a few moments, Wu Ji is shaken out of his inappropriate thoughts when he hears the doors open.

When she steps out of the room, Wu Ji is, once again, awestruck by her beauty. She dons layers of sheer whites and ivories, face brushed with light makeup, and her hair is adorned with a simple pearl-encrusted hairpin.

Wu Ji truly doesn’t know what he has done to become so fortunate.

He puts out his hand, gaze blissfully fixed on hers. “Are you ready?”

Wu Ji remembers that with a nod and an upward curve of her lips, she’d laced her fingers through and curled them firmly around his, never once letting go as they made their journey back to Ming Sect together.

They hadn’t known what the future was going to hold for them, but they had walked towards it with hearts filled with hope.

Wu Ji still clings to that hope, his current path fueled by hope and hope alone.

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Chapter 5 is totally self-indulgent and an expansion of "The Rain Scene" and what I wanted to see unfold onscreen, so basically, lots of fluff and some angst. Moreso for my writing and fangirl pleasure than actual plot advancement, but Chapter 6 is half-written and back on track, so stay tuned, folks

Title: Unfortunately

Chapter 5:

妳便是我命運安排的人

You are the one fate has arranged for me.

--

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

Reveal hidden contents

That night as Wu Ji gets ready for bed, he plays over the scene in the forest and still finds that something seemed amiss. He can't pinpoint it, why there was an air of familiarity with the maiden in white. Her Mongolian outfit had similarities to his Hanfu, and her martial arts technique resembled honed skills curated from the Central Plains.

Wu Ji has a nagging feeling in his stomach that refuses to go away, so he tries to distract himself by cleaning.

He starts fiddling with the blanket on his bed, then the pillow, and when that tires quickly, he switches to the other objects in the room.

As Wu Ji begins to sort through the clothes he had placed in a chest by the wall, he freezes when happening upon the outfit he had purposely hidden away deep in his baggage. It wasn't supposed to be out of its concealed cloth.

Wu Ji hesitates, but eventually reaches for the robe threaded with silken gold on ivory cotton. The layering piece is of a light blue similar to the fabric wound tightly around his wrist.

He takes it out of the drawer, careful not to unravel the folded layers. His hand runs across the delicate surface as he recalls the days leading up to its conception.

She’d had a hand in its distinguished style, but not without much prior fanfare.

Wu Ji hears her pacing around the room they share. He is in the middle of folding the thick comforter that has suitably served as his mock-bed during their extended stay. The wooden bench across the room would have been the more comfortable option, but Wu Ji had wanted to be as close to her bed as possible during the roughest parts of the past eight nights.

Today, he finally feels at ease to start planning for their trip back to Ming Sect, even if just in his head.

They had stayed longer than either of them had anticipated, but this time, he wasn’t going to let her even step foot outside until he was certain she was healthy.

Just as Wu Ji had worried, she did indeed catch a cold the very same night he returned from Shao Lin.

From underneath his paper umbrella, he’d spotted her in the middle of the wet and crowded street, a solitary silhouette searching endless faces for him in the pouring rain. When she recognized him, the gratitude in her smile was luminous, but all Wu Ji could remember was feeling angry.

He had just lost his Yi Fu to Buddha’s teachings, to a life of revenge and subsequent repentance. Now, seeing her endure this storm when she had promised him to stay well and get better made him livid.

Wu Ji couldn’t lose her, too.

He sprinted towards her, not realizing when his heart had begun racing so fast. His voice matched his vehemence. “Why are you out here drenched in the rain?”

His unoccupied hand automatically came up to check on her, and Wu Ji had to use the gravity of his touch to confirm that she was real and fine and well.

His tone had been more severe than he intended for it to be, and he’d tried to make her understand, but even that came out abrasively amidst his apprehension. “You obviously know you haven’t recovered from your injuries yet; what are we supposed to do if you catch a cold!? Do you NOT want to live anymore!?”

Blinking away the raindrops blinding her vision, she expressed her contrition through an apology.

Her explanation left Wu Ji in astonishment. He had never heard her voice sound so uncertain. Scared. “I’m sorry… I’ve been standing in the same spot waiting for you. I was afraid that if I walked away for even a second, I’d miss you.”

Wu Ji realizes later that it was a stupidstupidstupid idea to throw away the umbrella when he had just scolded her for standing in the rain, soaking wet.

But in that very moment, he had absolutely no grasp on logic or reason when she was standing there looking at him with such vulnerable sincerity, with enough love to drown Wu Ji mercilessly beneath her watery gaze.

He pulled her into his arms, both of them trembling for different reasons. She was freezing and it only spurred him to hug her tighter.

All Wu Ji wanted was to hide her away forever and do everything in his power to shield her from rainstorms or potential dangers or anything that could possibly hurt her.

Wu Ji’s voice assuaged as he felt a lump in his throat. “You are so silly.”

Later, Wu Ji will think they both must have looked completely foolish hugging in the middle of a torrential downpour with no umbrella or awning to cover them.

Right then, he had only cared about pulling her in even closer to him.

He’d apologized and hoped she could forgive him for the harshness of his tone, clarifying that it had all derived from his concern for her.

She accepted it freely without blame. “I know you mean well.” Her voice was timid, shaky through the thickness of her tears. “It’s just, when I was sicker and couldn’t wait out here for you, I was so scared. I was scared that I'd never see you again.”

Wu Ji grinned and saccharinity flowered in his chest as he pulled away, needing her to recognize all of the affection he bore through just his eyes. “How can that be possible?”

Her hands were so small and so cold as he held them. “How could I not come back? I know you’re here waiting for me. Even if I’m at the end of the Heavens and the edge of the Seas, I will always return to your side.”

The smile that flourished on her face only deepened as he drew her back into him.

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

He was on cold towel and hot medicine duties for almost five days before she regained any color back to her face. By the fourth night, the combination of residual internal damages, suffocating coughs, and looming pneumonia had Wu Ji nearly pleading to every deity he knew.

She had been a shivering, incomprehensible mess, but when she did have a moment of clarity, she was the one reassuring him.

Wu Ji didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or just scream.

Instead, he focused on nursing her back to health by staying up late and only catching a few moments of shuteye, by barely doing or eating or focusing on anything else aside from the patient occupying his entire existence.

He had hardly left her side, couldn't let her out of his sight, and by the fifth day, Wu Ji was now the tired, dismal mess.

When he finally caught a glimpse of sleep, they were both stirred awake by her coughs.

Wu Ji was there to grab her hand and immediately recognized the warmth in them again. Then when he touched his hand to her forehead, he was elated that the burning fever had also subsided.

After that morning, Wu Ji had given her (and himself) three more days of vigilant observation, regular pulse checking, and to her dismay, mandatory bed rest to be completely convinced that she was well.

She had put up a small fight, but when noticing the dark, tired circles under Wu Ji’s eyes and rough stubble littering his jaw, she knew she had lost.

Wu Ji can admit that maybe he went a little overboard within those following three days, but he had to make sure she was back to being one hundred percent before he could feel any sort of relief or normality again.

He absolutely couldn't lose her, too.

Today marks day nine, and Wu Ji is happy to be feeling like himself again as well. She, on the other hand, is going a little stir crazy. The pacing hasn’t stopped.

He sits down at the table in the center of the room and pours them two cups of tea.

"Wu Ji ah, what do you think about getting us some new clothes?"

He looks down at his attire, confused. “What do you mean? We just washed these.”

Head still cocked, she crosses her arms and brings one hand up to her face, index finger beginning to tap her lips in way of deep thought. Wu Ji's eyes immediately follow her slim fingers up to said lips, mesmerized by the flush of deep color now that she has mostly recovered.

His own thoughts rush back to their kiss and he suddenly has the urge to taste.

She breaks his spell with her voice.

“I know they’re clean and new, and they were apt for when we were riding on oxcarts and harvesting rice fields… But—” She pauses, spreading out her arms and looking down at herself, those same lips forming a pout as her eyes make it back up to him.

“Don’t you think we should get something a little more appropriately formal to greet your Ming Sect?” Her pout turns into a tiny smirk. “You are, after all, Zhang Jiao Zhu of Ming Sect, almost-leader of all Wu Lin.”

He maybe registers that she is teasing him, but he is stuck in a haze of red red lips and pretty doe eyes. Wu Ji doesn’t know why, but his enchantment by her doesn’t go away and he doesn't think it ever will.

There’s a slight lilt in her tone that implies he has no room for argument, and Wu Ji will comply, but right now, all he can think is, I think you look perfect.

“Wai, Zhang Wu Ji, are you listening to me?”

He snaps out of his fog and nods slowly in a repeated manner. “Uh, y-yeah. Yes. New clothes. Appropriate for Ming Sect.”

The smirk is gone, and she is now smiling at him fondly, knowingly.

Wu Ji knows he is a goner.

Shortly after, they arrive at a fabric store, and Wu Ji is overwhelmed by the huge selection of textiles to choose from. There is an array of shades and hues and tones of colors that all look the same to him, but are definitely jade green and not emerald green according to the shopkeeper.

She soundly agrees with the salesman, and Wu Ji knows he is outnumbered.

He amusedly watches as she sifts through all the different rolls of linen and cotton and silk with care, discussing the history and production and quality of each one.

Her smile lights up the entire store, and Wu Ji realizes he can’t get enough of when her eyes glisten with joy, especially when they are directed at him.

“Wu Ji ah! What do you think of putting these colors together? I’ve already picked out the fabric for us.” He notes the giddiness in her voice and once again emphasizes his gratitude at the amount of progress her health has regained in the last few days.

“Feel how lightweight and smooth it is!”

She takes his hand, and Wu Ji’s heart skips a beat. Or two. Or ten.

The owner butts in, “It’s made from the finest silkworms in Chang An 長安 and will keep you warm in the winters and cool in the summers with the way the textile wicks.”

And when she haughtily tells him, “I know; that’s why I chose it,” Wu Ji remembers that he is dealing with a Jun Zhu 郡主 after all.

When she turns to Wu Ji, the arrogance is gone and her smile turns shy. “I chose white with gold and light blue accents for you. It’s going to look great on you, Wu Ji ah.”

Her infectious smile reflects on Wu Ji’s face as he nods, eyes focused solely on her.

“Lao ban, we will take these two rolls.” She pulls out the remaining banknotes she’d traded for with her jewelry and pays the shopkeeper. Upon seeing the stacks of paper money, the older man’s eyes perk up.

“Fu ren, you have utmost taste. These are the best my store has to offer. Your husband is very lucky to have such a thoughtful and attentive wife such as yourself.”

At this, Wu Ji can feel blood rush to his face as he peeks over to see that her cheeks are also flushed with a deeper pink. Their eyes meet, both pairs of lips graced with a shared smile, and he notes that neither of them corrects the shopkeeper.

Wu Ji hears her reprimand the owner for being nosey, and she states that he has a deadline of three days or they will come back to demand a full refund and tear his store sign down.

The older man immediately ushers them into different rooms to be measured by his tailors, and once their dimensions are taken down, the owner assures them his workers are the ablest workers in the whole city. Their orders will definitely be completed by the given timeframe.

Wu Ji watches and listens as she meticulously recites and finalizes each and every detail with the shopkeeper, who hangs on to her every word and writes them all down with diligence.

He knows she is putting extra care into his attire, going over threading, embroidery, trim, and more things Wu Ji doesn’t really understand.

What Wu Ji does register is that he agrees with the shopkeeper. He is the luckiest man in the world.

In less than two days, the owner of the tailor shop completes their outfits and delivers the finished clothes directly to their inn.

Wu Ji is amazed at the style and quality of it all.

She is bursting with excitement beside him and hurriedly makes him change into his garbs first.

Wu Ji is suddenly inside the room by himself and all he can do is stare at the pile of neatly folded, newly sewn threads. Next to it is their pre-packed bags, prepared for when they are ready to head back to Ming Sect.

He knows she is waiting, so he tries to shake himself out of the haze enough to put on the first layer. It is exactly as smooth and luxurious as she and the shopkeeper had described.

Silk. Wu Ji has heard of China’s impressive Silk Road, a network and crossroad of merchants infinitely seeking wealth and the powers it could bring them.

He glances back at the modest threads he had taken off, laid out neatly on the bed.

Wu Ji is unexpectedly apprehensive.

He gets flashes of Zhi Ruo and her enthusiasm from civilian chants, and he worries about her insinuation of what she wanted from Wu Ji once they were married. He hears the words Emperor and Sect Leader, and it makes his heart drop into his stomach. The burden these words entail make him anxious for a future he desperately wants to escape from.

These are all the things Wu Ji fears most.

He knows of his obligations as Jiao Zhu, his debt to his country, but once all the responsibilities on his shoulders are accomplished, he simply wants peace.

To Wu Ji, peace means finally being able to walk away. Peace means being with the girl he loves and finding their future together. Peace is freedom 自由自在.

There is a knockknockknock that brings Wu Ji back from his thoughts. He hears her voice come through from the other side of the door and lets the calmness it brings wash over him.

“Wu Ji ah, what’s taking you so long? Can I help?”

She waits for him. She always does.

Wu Ji opens the wooden doors, and she lingers there with a curious look on her face. He doesn’t know how she can ask him if he is okay with just one look and a slight raise of her brow, but his nerves have settled enough to form a smile.

“Will you help me?”

Curiosity fades into concern, but Wu Ji hopes his smile can ease her, if only for just a bit. She nods her head and steps inside the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

He forces the smile to remain on his face, and stands there in the middle of the room, arms slightly spread out, beckoning for her assistance.

She doesn’t move, and Wu Ji starts to feel self-conscious. He realizes he only has his first layer on—no waistband, no adornment, no robe. He feels laid out and exposed under her perceptive gaze, like there is absolutely nothing he can hide behind that she won’t see through.

As he frets, she makes her first deliberate steps toward him, and her uneasy expression morphs into a gentle determination.

She picks up the secondary layer of accented blues, and without exchanging any words, puts the robe on Wu Ji. She slowly helps him one sleeve at a time, her hands smoothing out every wrinkle that forms.

Her touch is electric.

With his arms still up and away from his body, Wu Ji is patient as he waits for her to pick up the matching waistband. The dark leather is stark against the milky complexion of her hands, and he watches as she evenly spaces out her grip on the belt.

She inches close enough to where he can distinctly perceive notes of plum blossoms at full bloom, and Wu Ji closes his eyes to savor the quietness of their proximity.

She first wraps the belt around his front as her arms gradually come around to the back of his waist, forming a half-moon and mock-embrace. She is so close to him, and Wu Ji breathes her in, trying to find his inner balance through her presence. When she wraps the band a second time, her hands meet and settle on his stomach, and she meticulously threads the end of the belt through the loop, fastening it on him.

“Wu Ji ah, it's okay.” Her small hands work methodically and thoroughly, and Wu Ji feels time slow with her words.

“If you don't like it, we can wear our other clothes again.” She reaches up and cups his face with one hand, fingers tenderly caressing his cheek. She nearly whispers. “I just want you to be happy.”

Wu Ji is frozen by her acknowledgment. “I-I'm not—” He finds it difficult to formulate his thoughts, but it seems he doesn't need to.

“I assure you, this doesn't change anything.”

Her gaze is soft under the midday sun peering in through the translucent windows. “Once you are done with what you need to do, we will leave together.”

She rests her head gently on his chest, eyes closing. “I won't let anyone make you wear anything it is you don't want to wear.” Her whisper is faint, but he catches the jest in her tone. “Only I get to do that.”

If Wu Ji could take her away with him in that very moment, he would. He feels an ache in his chest, a throbbing that stems from his inability to do just that.

The tension in his body releases and Wu Ji melds with the warmth of her embrace. She is moored to Wu Ji, an immovable anchor that grounds him in his present state of disquiet.

“Tell me. What do you want?”

Wu Ji is certain the future he envisions is right here in front of him.

There is confidence in his voice when he answers, “I want to wear this.”

She pulls away and beams. “Good. Let me help you finish dressing.” She puts the last layer on him, adding on the finishing touches to his outfit.

“In front of the whole world, you are Zhang Jiao Zhu.” He is in front of the mirror with her next to him, and Wu Ji knows he can get through anything if he has her. “But with me, you are simply my Wu Ji.”

He allows himself a few beats to take everything in. Her strength exudes through every pore in her body, and Wu Ji is lucky enough to be able to absorb it all in, feeding off of this addiction he had never before been able to identify.

What was it about her that had tantalized him from the start? That no matter how many times Wu Ji ran or tried to push her away, he could never succeed? He failed over and over again, even tried to marry someone else to forget about her, yet it was all for naught.

Of every woman Wu Ji has ever met, she was the most beautiful and ruthless, just like his mom had warned him. She had been the root cause of his downfall. This Mongolian Princess who now stands before him in humble clothes and open vulnerability, who had given up everything to be with him, and who understands Wu Ji through and through when even he can’t find his own reflection.

When Wu Ji’s internal and external demands and desires become too much, she is his haven.

“I love you.”

He sees the moment she freezes, lips slightly parted from his sudden confession.

Wu Ji knows he is going to marry this girl.

“Wh-what?”

“I love you.” His voice and eyes do not waver.

Wu Ji is still surprised by how tender her eyes can get when she looks at him and only him. When the tears begin to form and silently roll down her cheeks, he kisses them away. He cups her face with both of his hands and tastes every single drop with his lips, gentle and sweet. She closes her eyes, lashes fanning out stark against her skin and his, as Wu Ji’s lips travel from the edges of her bottom lash, down her cheek, and finally stopping at her cupid’s bow.

It starts out as a small, soft peck at the tip of her upper lip and morphs into hands resting in her hair and at the nape of her neck, heads tilting to melt into an arousing kiss.

It is nothing like their first kiss with all of Wu Ji’s pent-up passion boiling to the surface with nowhere to escape, but through her. The kiss was untamed, unrestrained, directed by a young man’s eagerness to finally being able to have what he had been denied for so long.

Everything he had been running from had finally caught up to him. Everything Wu Ji had wanted, he was able to have.

But this. Wu Ji wants to savor this. He takes his time, caressing her lips with his as they move in provocative unison. The kiss is slow and heady, seconds feeling like hours as Wu Ji concentrates on her honied taste, the feel of her plump lips, and the touch of lips and teeth and tongue, her soft hair framed by the spread of his hands.

Wu Ji takes the opportunity to nibble lightly on her bottom lip.

When he hears her moan, Wu Ji’s heart nearly stops. He uses all of his willpower to pull away, afraid he will take it too far and devour all of her.

They both take several deep breaths, still merely centimeters apart. Wu Ji presses his forehead to hers and kisses her gently on the tip of her nose. She smiles even when her eyes are still closed and it prompts the one on Wu Ji’s face as well.

A contented sigh escapes from her lips and Wu Ji nearly goes in to taste them again. She stops him with one finger to his lips. “If we keep this up, we are never going to leave this place. I still need to change, Wu Ji ah”

His sigh is less content and more exasperated, but he obliges. Wu Ji steals one last kiss on her cheek before leaving the room, most definitely not thinking about bare skin or red lips or the mole on her chest he had discovered on Snake Island.

After a few moments, Wu Ji is shaken out of his inappropriate thoughts when he hears the doors open.

When she steps out of the room, Wu Ji is, once again, awestruck by her beauty. She dons layers of sheer whites and ivories, face brushed with light makeup, and her hair is adorned with a simple pearl-encrusted hairpin.

Wu Ji truly doesn’t know what he has done to become so fortunate.

He puts out his hand, gaze blissfully fixed on hers. “Are you ready?”

Wu Ji remembers that with a nod and an upward curve of her lips, she’d laced her fingers through and curled them firmly around his, never once letting go as they made their journey back to Ming Sect together.

They hadn’t known what the future was going to hold for them, but they had walked towards it with hearts filled with hope.

Wu Ji still clings to that hope, his current path fueled by hope and hope alone.

Every thought process, every little details, inner feeling of the both of them were so well described. I can imagine their expression in my mind

Waiting for chapter 6!

4 hours ago, bluesky888 said:

The Vietnamese fans on FB has notice there cut scenes on eps 17. (TVB) But nothing add to it yet.

Heard they cut away a scene in wuji memory lane with ZZR, they kept the memory of young zzr feeding him porridge and cut away the scene of handkerchief that was given to ZZR by wuji. And the scene of Yang Xiao ordering xiao zhao limbs to be lock up is gone.

Heard they cut away a scene in wuji memory lane with ZZR, they kept the memory of young zzr feeding him porridge and cut away the scene of handkerchief that was given to ZZR by wuji. And the scene of Yang Xiao ordering xiao zhao limbs to be lock up is gone.

I don’t mind they cut the scene there no MinMin. But add the scenes of WJ-MinMin to it.

1 hour ago, deminni said:

Chapter 5 is totally self-indulgent and an expansion of "The Rain Scene" and what I wanted to see unfold onscreen, so basically, lots of fluff and some angst. Moreso for my writing and fangirl pleasure than actual plot advancement, but Chapter 6 is half-written and back on track, so stay tuned, folks

Title: Unfortunately

Chapter 5:

妳便是我命運安排的人

You are the one fate has arranged for me.

--

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

Reveal hidden contents

That night as Wu Ji gets ready for bed, he plays over the scene in the forest and still finds that something seemed amiss. He can't pinpoint it, why there was an air of familiarity with the maiden in white. Her Mongolian outfit had similarities to his Hanfu, and her martial arts technique resembled honed skills curated from the Central Plains.

Wu Ji has a nagging feeling in his stomach that refuses to go away, so he tries to distract himself by cleaning.

He starts fiddling with the blanket on his bed, then the pillow, and when that tires quickly, he switches to the other objects in the room.

As Wu Ji begins to sort through the clothes he had placed in a chest by the wall, he freezes when happening upon the outfit he had purposely hidden away deep in his baggage. It wasn't supposed to be out of its concealed cloth.

Wu Ji hesitates, but eventually reaches for the robe threaded with silken gold on ivory cotton. The layering piece is of a light blue similar to the fabric wound tightly around his wrist.

He takes it out of the drawer, careful not to unravel the folded layers. His hand runs across the delicate surface as he recalls the days leading up to its conception.

She’d had a hand in its distinguished style, but not without much prior fanfare.

Wu Ji hears her pacing around the room they share. He is in the middle of folding the thick comforter that has suitably served as his mock-bed during their extended stay. The wooden bench across the room would have been the more comfortable option, but Wu Ji had wanted to be as close to her bed as possible during the roughest parts of the past eight nights.

Today, he finally feels at ease to start planning for their trip back to Ming Sect, even if just in his head.

They had stayed longer than either of them had anticipated, but this time, he wasn’t going to let her even step foot outside until he was certain she was healthy.

Just as Wu Ji had worried, she did indeed catch a cold the very same night he returned from Shao Lin.

From underneath his paper umbrella, he’d spotted her in the middle of the wet and crowded street, a solitary silhouette searching endless faces for him in the pouring rain. When she recognized him, the gratitude in her smile was luminous, but all Wu Ji could remember was feeling angry.

He had just lost his Yi Fu to Buddha’s teachings, to a life of revenge and subsequent repentance. Now, seeing her endure this storm when she had promised him to stay well and get better made him livid.

Wu Ji couldn’t lose her, too.

He sprinted towards her, not realizing when his heart had begun racing so fast. His voice matched his vehemence. “Why are you out here drenched in the rain?”

His unoccupied hand automatically came up to check on her, and Wu Ji had to use the gravity of his touch to confirm that she was real and fine and well.

His tone had been more severe than he intended for it to be, and he’d tried to make her understand, but even that came out abrasively amidst his apprehension. “You obviously know you haven’t recovered from your injuries yet; what are we supposed to do if you catch a cold!? Do you NOT want to live anymore!?”

Blinking away the raindrops blinding her vision, she expressed her contrition through an apology.

Her explanation left Wu Ji in astonishment. He had never heard her voice sound so uncertain. Scared. “I’m sorry… I’ve been standing in the same spot waiting for you. I was afraid that if I walked away for even a second, I’d miss you.”

Wu Ji realizes later that it was a stupidstupidstupid idea to throw away the umbrella when he had just scolded her for standing in the rain, soaking wet.

But in that very moment, he had absolutely no grasp on logic or reason when she was standing there looking at him with such vulnerable sincerity, with enough love to drown Wu Ji mercilessly beneath her watery gaze.

He pulled her into his arms, both of them trembling for different reasons. She was freezing and it only spurred him to hug her tighter.

All Wu Ji wanted was to hide her away forever and do everything in his power to shield her from rainstorms or potential dangers or anything that could possibly hurt her.

Wu Ji’s voice assuaged as he felt a lump in his throat. “You are so silly.”

Later, Wu Ji will think they both must have looked completely foolish hugging in the middle of a torrential downpour with no umbrella or awning to cover them.

Right then, he had only cared about pulling her in even closer to him.

He’d apologized and hoped she could forgive him for the harshness of his tone, clarifying that it had all derived from his concern for her.

She accepted it freely without blame. “I know you mean well.” Her voice was timid, shaky through the thickness of her tears. “It’s just, when I was sicker and couldn’t wait out here for you, I was so scared. I was scared that I'd never see you again.”

Wu Ji grinned and saccharinity flowered in his chest as he pulled away, needing her to recognize all of the affection he bore through just his eyes. “How can that be possible?”

Her hands were so small and so cold as he held them. “How could I not come back? I know you’re here waiting for me. Even if I’m at the end of the Heavens and the edge of the Seas, I will always return to your side.”

The smile that flourished on her face only deepened as he drew her back into him.

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

He was on cold towel and hot medicine duties for almost five days before she regained any color back to her face. By the fourth night, the combination of residual internal damages, suffocating coughs, and looming pneumonia had Wu Ji nearly pleading to every deity he knew.

She had been a shivering, incomprehensible mess, but when she did have a moment of clarity, she was the one reassuring him.

Wu Ji didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or just scream.

Instead, he focused on nursing her back to health by staying up late and only catching a few moments of shuteye, by barely doing or eating or focusing on anything else aside from the patient occupying his entire existence.

He had hardly left her side, couldn't let her out of his sight, and by the fifth day, Wu Ji was now the tired, dismal mess.

When he finally caught a glimpse of sleep, they were both stirred awake by her coughs.

Wu Ji was there to grab her hand and immediately recognized the warmth in them again. Then when he touched his hand to her forehead, he was elated that the burning fever had also subsided.

After that morning, Wu Ji had given her (and himself) three more days of vigilant observation, regular pulse checking, and to her dismay, mandatory bed rest to be completely convinced that she was well.

She had put up a small fight, but when noticing the dark, tired circles under Wu Ji’s eyes and rough stubble littering his jaw, she knew she had lost.

Wu Ji can admit that maybe he went a little overboard within those following three days, but he had to make sure she was back to being one hundred percent before he could feel any sort of relief or normality again.

He absolutely couldn't lose her, too.

Today marks day nine, and Wu Ji is happy to be feeling like himself again as well. She, on the other hand, is going a little stir crazy. The pacing hasn’t stopped.

He sits down at the table in the center of the room and pours them two cups of tea.

"Wu Ji ah, what do you think about getting us some new clothes?"

He looks down at his attire, confused. “What do you mean? We just washed these.”

Head still cocked, she crosses her arms and brings one hand up to her face, index finger beginning to tap her lips in way of deep thought. Wu Ji's eyes immediately follow her slim fingers up to said lips, mesmerized by the flush of deep color now that she has mostly recovered.

His own thoughts rush back to their kiss and he suddenly has the urge to taste.

She breaks his spell with her voice.

“I know they’re clean and new, and they were apt for when we were riding on oxcarts and harvesting rice fields… But—” She pauses, spreading out her arms and looking down at herself, those same lips forming a pout as her eyes make it back up to him.

“Don’t you think we should get something a little more appropriately formal to greet your Ming Sect?” Her pout turns into a tiny smirk. “You are, after all, Zhang Jiao Zhu of Ming Sect, almost-leader of all Wu Lin.”

He maybe registers that she is teasing him, but he is stuck in a haze of red red lips and pretty doe eyes. Wu Ji doesn’t know why, but his enchantment by her doesn’t go away and he doesn't think it ever will.

There’s a slight lilt in her tone that implies he has no room for argument, and Wu Ji will comply, but right now, all he can think is, I think you look perfect.

“Wai, Zhang Wu Ji, are you listening to me?”

He snaps out of his fog and nods slowly in a repeated manner. “Uh, y-yeah. Yes. New clothes. Appropriate for Ming Sect.”

The smirk is gone, and she is now smiling at him fondly, knowingly.

Wu Ji knows he is a goner.

Shortly after, they arrive at a fabric store, and Wu Ji is overwhelmed by the huge selection of textiles to choose from. There is an array of shades and hues and tones of colors that all look the same to him, but are definitely jade green and not emerald green according to the shopkeeper.

She soundly agrees with the salesman, and Wu Ji knows he is outnumbered.

He amusedly watches as she sifts through all the different rolls of linen and cotton and silk with care, discussing the history and production and quality of each one.

Her smile lights up the entire store, and Wu Ji realizes he can’t get enough of when her eyes glisten with joy, especially when they are directed at him.

“Wu Ji ah! What do you think of putting these colors together? I’ve already picked out the fabric for us.” He notes the giddiness in her voice and once again emphasizes his gratitude at the amount of progress her health has regained in the last few days.

“Feel how lightweight and smooth it is!”

She takes his hand, and Wu Ji’s heart skips a beat. Or two. Or ten.

The owner butts in, “It’s made from the finest silkworms in Chang An 長安 and will keep you warm in the winters and cool in the summers with the way the textile wicks.”

And when she haughtily tells him, “I know; that’s why I chose it,” Wu Ji remembers that he is dealing with a Jun Zhu 郡主 after all.

When she turns to Wu Ji, the arrogance is gone and her smile turns shy. “I chose white with gold and light blue accents for you. It’s going to look great on you, Wu Ji ah.”

Her infectious smile reflects on Wu Ji’s face as he nods, eyes focused solely on her.

“Lao ban, we will take these two rolls.” She pulls out the remaining banknotes she’d traded for with her jewelry and pays the shopkeeper. Upon seeing the stacks of paper money, the older man’s eyes perk up.

“Fu ren, you have utmost taste. These are the best my store has to offer. Your husband is very lucky to have such a thoughtful and attentive wife such as yourself.”

At this, Wu Ji can feel blood rush to his face as he peeks over to see that her cheeks are also flushed with a deeper pink. Their eyes meet, both pairs of lips graced with a shared smile, and he notes that neither of them corrects the shopkeeper.

Wu Ji hears her reprimand the owner for being nosey, and she states that he has a deadline of three days or they will come back to demand a full refund and tear his store sign down.

The older man immediately ushers them into different rooms to be measured by his tailors, and once their dimensions are taken down, the owner assures them his workers are the ablest workers in the whole city. Their orders will definitely be completed by the given timeframe.

Wu Ji watches and listens as she meticulously recites and finalizes each and every detail with the shopkeeper, who hangs on to her every word and writes them all down with diligence.

He knows she is putting extra care into his attire, going over threading, embroidery, trim, and more things Wu Ji doesn’t really understand.

What Wu Ji does register is that he agrees with the shopkeeper. He is the luckiest man in the world.

In less than two days, the owner of the tailor shop completes their outfits and delivers the finished clothes directly to their inn.

Wu Ji is amazed at the style and quality of it all.

She is bursting with excitement beside him and hurriedly makes him change into his garbs first.

Wu Ji is suddenly inside the room by himself and all he can do is stare at the pile of neatly folded, newly sewn threads. Next to it is their pre-packed bags, prepared for when they are ready to head back to Ming Sect.

He knows she is waiting, so he tries to shake himself out of the haze enough to put on the first layer. It is exactly as smooth and luxurious as she and the shopkeeper had described.

Silk. Wu Ji has heard of China’s impressive Silk Road, a network and crossroad of merchants infinitely seeking wealth and the powers it could bring them.

He glances back at the modest threads he had taken off, laid out neatly on the bed.

Wu Ji is unexpectedly apprehensive.

He gets flashes of Zhi Ruo and her enthusiasm from civilian chants, and he worries about her insinuation of what she wanted from Wu Ji once they were married. He hears the words Emperor and Sect Leader, and it makes his heart drop into his stomach. The burden these words entail make him anxious for a future he desperately wants to escape from.

These are all the things Wu Ji fears most.

He knows of his obligations as Jiao Zhu, his debt to his country, but once all the responsibilities on his shoulders are accomplished, he simply wants peace.

To Wu Ji, peace means finally being able to walk away. Peace means being with the girl he loves and finding their future together. Peace is freedom 自由自在.

There is a knockknockknock that brings Wu Ji back from his thoughts. He hears her voice come through from the other side of the door and lets the calmness it brings wash over him.

“Wu Ji ah, what’s taking you so long? Can I help?”

She waits for him. She always does.

Wu Ji opens the wooden doors, and she lingers there with a curious look on her face. He doesn’t know how she can ask him if he is okay with just one look and a slight raise of her brow, but his nerves have settled enough to form a smile.

“Will you help me?”

Curiosity fades into concern, but Wu Ji hopes his smile can ease her, if only for just a bit. She nods her head and steps inside the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

He forces the smile to remain on his face, and stands there in the middle of the room, arms slightly spread out, beckoning for her assistance.

She doesn’t move, and Wu Ji starts to feel self-conscious. He realizes he only has his first layer on—no waistband, no adornment, no robe. He feels laid out and exposed under her perceptive gaze, like there is absolutely nothing he can hide behind that she won’t see through.

As he frets, she makes her first deliberate steps toward him, and her uneasy expression morphs into a gentle determination.

She picks up the secondary layer of accented blues, and without exchanging any words, puts the robe on Wu Ji. She slowly helps him one sleeve at a time, her hands smoothing out every wrinkle that forms.

Her touch is electric.

With his arms still up and away from his body, Wu Ji is patient as he waits for her to pick up the matching waistband. The dark leather is stark against the milky complexion of her hands, and he watches as she evenly spaces out her grip on the belt.

She inches close enough to where he can distinctly perceive notes of plum blossoms at full bloom, and Wu Ji closes his eyes to savor the quietness of their proximity.

She first wraps the belt around his front as her arms gradually come around to the back of his waist, forming a half-moon and mock-embrace. She is so close to him, and Wu Ji breathes her in, trying to find his inner balance through her presence. When she wraps the band a second time, her hands meet and settle on his stomach, and she meticulously threads the end of the belt through the loop, fastening it on him.

“Wu Ji ah, it's okay.” Her small hands work methodically and thoroughly, and Wu Ji feels time slow with her words.

“If you don't like it, we can wear our other clothes again.” She reaches up and cups his face with one hand, fingers tenderly caressing his cheek. She nearly whispers. “I just want you to be happy.”

Wu Ji is frozen by her acknowledgment. “I-I'm not—” He finds it difficult to formulate his thoughts, but it seems he doesn't need to.

“I assure you, this doesn't change anything.”

Her gaze is soft under the midday sun peering in through the translucent windows. “Once you are done with what you need to do, we will leave together.”

She rests her head gently on his chest, eyes closing. “I won't let anyone make you wear anything it is you don't want to wear.” Her whisper is faint, but he catches the jest in her tone. “Only I get to do that.”

If Wu Ji could take her away with him in that very moment, he would. He feels an ache in his chest, a throbbing that stems from his inability to do just that.

The tension in his body releases and Wu Ji melds with the warmth of her embrace. She is moored to Wu Ji, an immovable anchor that grounds him in his present state of disquiet.

“Tell me. What do you want?”

Wu Ji is certain the future he envisions is right here in front of him.

There is confidence in his voice when he answers, “I want to wear this.”

She pulls away and beams. “Good. Let me help you finish dressing.” She puts the last layer on him, adding on the finishing touches to his outfit.

“In front of the whole world, you are Zhang Jiao Zhu.” He is in front of the mirror with her next to him, and Wu Ji knows he can get through anything if he has her. “But with me, you are simply my Wu Ji.”

He allows himself a few beats to take everything in. Her strength exudes through every pore in her body, and Wu Ji is lucky enough to be able to absorb it all in, feeding off of this addiction he had never before been able to identify.

What was it about her that had tantalized him from the start? That no matter how many times Wu Ji ran or tried to push her away, he could never succeed? He failed over and over again, even tried to marry someone else to forget about her, yet it was all for naught.

Of every woman Wu Ji has ever met, she was the most beautiful and ruthless, just like his mom had warned him. She had been the root cause of his downfall. This Mongolian Princess who now stands before him in humble clothes and open vulnerability, who had given up everything to be with him, and who understands Wu Ji through and through when even he can’t find his own reflection.

When Wu Ji’s internal and external demands and desires become too much, she is his haven.

“I love you.”

He sees the moment she freezes, lips slightly parted from his sudden confession.

Wu Ji knows he is going to marry this girl.

“Wh-what?”

“I love you.” His voice and eyes do not waver.

Wu Ji is still surprised by how tender her eyes can get when she looks at him and only him. When the tears begin to form and silently roll down her cheeks, he kisses them away. He cups her face with both of his hands and tastes every single drop with his lips, gentle and sweet. She closes her eyes, lashes fanning out stark against her skin and his, as Wu Ji’s lips travel from the edges of her bottom lash, down her cheek, and finally stopping at her cupid’s bow.

It starts out as a small, soft peck at the tip of her upper lip and morphs into hands resting in her hair and at the nape of her neck, heads tilting to melt into an arousing kiss.

It is nothing like their first kiss with all of Wu Ji’s pent-up passion boiling to the surface with nowhere to escape, but through her. The kiss was untamed, unrestrained, directed by a young man’s eagerness to finally being able to have what he had been denied for so long.

Everything he had been running from had finally caught up to him. Everything Wu Ji had wanted, he was able to have.

But this. Wu Ji wants to savor this. He takes his time, caressing her lips with his as they move in provocative unison. The kiss is slow and heady, seconds feeling like hours as Wu Ji concentrates on her honied taste, the feel of her plump lips, and the touch of lips and teeth and tongue, her soft hair framed by the spread of his hands.

Wu Ji takes the opportunity to nibble lightly on her bottom lip.

When he hears her moan, Wu Ji’s heart nearly stops. He uses all of his willpower to pull away, afraid he will take it too far and devour all of her.

They both take several deep breaths, still merely centimeters apart. Wu Ji presses his forehead to hers and kisses her gently on the tip of her nose. She smiles even when her eyes are still closed and it prompts the one on Wu Ji’s face as well.

A contented sigh escapes from her lips and Wu Ji nearly goes in to taste them again. She stops him with one finger to his lips. “If we keep this up, we are never going to leave this place. I still need to change, Wu Ji ah”

His sigh is less content and more exasperated, but he obliges. Wu Ji steals one last kiss on her cheek before leaving the room, most definitely not thinking about bare skin or red lips or the mole on her chest he had discovered on Snake Island.

After a few moments, Wu Ji is shaken out of his inappropriate thoughts when he hears the doors open.

When she steps out of the room, Wu Ji is, once again, awestruck by her beauty. She dons layers of sheer whites and ivories, face brushed with light makeup, and her hair is adorned with a simple pearl-encrusted hairpin.

Wu Ji truly doesn’t know what he has done to become so fortunate.

He puts out his hand, gaze blissfully fixed on hers. “Are you ready?”

Wu Ji remembers that with a nod and an upward curve of her lips, she’d laced her fingers through and curled them firmly around his, never once letting go as they made their journey back to Ming Sect together.

They hadn’t known what the future was going to hold for them, but they had walked towards it with hearts filled with hope.

Wu Ji still clings to that hope, his current path fueled by hope and hope alone.

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Chapter 5 is totally self-indulgent and an expansion of "The Rain Scene" and what I wanted to see unfold onscreen, so basically, lots of fluff and some angst. Moreso for my writing and fangirl pleasure than actual plot advancement, but Chapter 6 is half-written and back on track, so stay tuned, folks

Title: Unfortunately

Chapter 5:

妳便是我命運安排的人

You are the one fate has arranged for me.

--

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

Reveal hidden contents

That night as Wu Ji gets ready for bed, he plays over the scene in the forest and still finds that something seemed amiss. He can't pinpoint it, why there was an air of familiarity with the maiden in white. Her Mongolian outfit had similarities to his Hanfu, and her martial arts technique resembled honed skills curated from the Central Plains.

Wu Ji has a nagging feeling in his stomach that refuses to go away, so he tries to distract himself by cleaning.

He starts fiddling with the blanket on his bed, then the pillow, and when that tires quickly, he switches to the other objects in the room.

As Wu Ji begins to sort through the clothes he had placed in a chest by the wall, he freezes when happening upon the outfit he had purposely hidden away deep in his baggage. It wasn't supposed to be out of its concealed cloth.

Wu Ji hesitates, but eventually reaches for the robe threaded with silken gold on ivory cotton. The layering piece is of a light blue similar to the fabric wound tightly around his wrist.

He takes it out of the drawer, careful not to unravel the folded layers. His hand runs across the delicate surface as he recalls the days leading up to its conception.

She’d had a hand in its distinguished style, but not without much prior fanfare.

Wu Ji hears her pacing around the room they share. He is in the middle of folding the thick comforter that has suitably served as his mock-bed during their extended stay. The wooden bench across the room would have been the more comfortable option, but Wu Ji had wanted to be as close to her bed as possible during the roughest parts of the past eight nights.

Today, he finally feels at ease to start planning for their trip back to Ming Sect, even if just in his head.

They had stayed longer than either of them had anticipated, but this time, he wasn’t going to let her even step foot outside until he was certain she was healthy.

Just as Wu Ji had worried, she did indeed catch a cold the very same night he returned from Shao Lin.

From underneath his paper umbrella, he’d spotted her in the middle of the wet and crowded street, a solitary silhouette searching endless faces for him in the pouring rain. When she recognized him, the gratitude in her smile was luminous, but all Wu Ji could remember was feeling angry.

He had just lost his Yi Fu to Buddha’s teachings, to a life of revenge and subsequent repentance. Now, seeing her endure this storm when she had promised him to stay well and get better made him livid.

Wu Ji couldn’t lose her, too.

He sprinted towards her, not realizing when his heart had begun racing so fast. His voice matched his vehemence. “Why are you out here drenched in the rain?”

His unoccupied hand automatically came up to check on her, and Wu Ji had to use the gravity of his touch to confirm that she was real and fine and well.

His tone had been more severe than he intended for it to be, and he’d tried to make her understand, but even that came out abrasively amidst his apprehension. “You obviously know you haven’t recovered from your injuries yet; what are we supposed to do if you catch a cold!? Do you NOT want to live anymore!?”

Blinking away the raindrops blinding her vision, she expressed her contrition through an apology.

Her explanation left Wu Ji in astonishment. He had never heard her voice sound so uncertain. Scared. “I’m sorry… I’ve been standing in the same spot waiting for you. I was afraid that if I walked away for even a second, I’d miss you.”

Wu Ji realizes later that it was a stupidstupidstupid idea to throw away the umbrella when he had just scolded her for standing in the rain, soaking wet.

But in that very moment, he had absolutely no grasp on logic or reason when she was standing there looking at him with such vulnerable sincerity, with enough love to drown Wu Ji mercilessly beneath her watery gaze.

He pulled her into his arms, both of them trembling for different reasons. She was freezing and it only spurred him to hug her tighter.

All Wu Ji wanted was to hide her away forever and do everything in his power to shield her from rainstorms or potential dangers or anything that could possibly hurt her.

Wu Ji’s voice assuaged as he felt a lump in his throat. “You are so silly.”

Later, Wu Ji will think they both must have looked completely foolish hugging in the middle of a torrential downpour with no umbrella or awning to cover them.

Right then, he had only cared about pulling her in even closer to him.

He’d apologized and hoped she could forgive him for the harshness of his tone, clarifying that it had all derived from his concern for her.

She accepted it freely without blame. “I know you mean well.” Her voice was timid, shaky through the thickness of her tears. “It’s just, when I was sicker and couldn’t wait out here for you, I was so scared. I was scared that I'd never see you again.”

Wu Ji grinned and saccharinity flowered in his chest as he pulled away, needing her to recognize all of the affection he bore through just his eyes. “How can that be possible?”

Her hands were so small and so cold as he held them. “How could I not come back? I know you’re here waiting for me. Even if I’m at the end of the Heavens and the edge of the Seas, I will always return to your side.”

The smile that flourished on her face only deepened as he drew her back into him.

He doesn’t remember how long they had stood there in each other’s embrace, but Wu Ji will never forget the immense blooming in his chest from the sheer amount of love he had felt for her, a feeling he knew that even a lifetime later will not wan despite any time or distance that may pass between them.

He also remembers that when she began sniffling and sneezing that night, Wu Ji had wished he were the sick one instead.

He was on cold towel and hot medicine duties for almost five days before she regained any color back to her face. By the fourth night, the combination of residual internal damages, suffocating coughs, and looming pneumonia had Wu Ji nearly pleading to every deity he knew.

She had been a shivering, incomprehensible mess, but when she did have a moment of clarity, she was the one reassuring him.

Wu Ji didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or just scream.

Instead, he focused on nursing her back to health by staying up late and only catching a few moments of shuteye, by barely doing or eating or focusing on anything else aside from the patient occupying his entire existence.

He had hardly left her side, couldn't let her out of his sight, and by the fifth day, Wu Ji was now the tired, dismal mess.

When he finally caught a glimpse of sleep, they were both stirred awake by her coughs.

Wu Ji was there to grab her hand and immediately recognized the warmth in them again. Then when he touched his hand to her forehead, he was elated that the burning fever had also subsided.

After that morning, Wu Ji had given her (and himself) three more days of vigilant observation, regular pulse checking, and to her dismay, mandatory bed rest to be completely convinced that she was well.

She had put up a small fight, but when noticing the dark, tired circles under Wu Ji’s eyes and rough stubble littering his jaw, she knew she had lost.

Wu Ji can admit that maybe he went a little overboard within those following three days, but he had to make sure she was back to being one hundred percent before he could feel any sort of relief or normality again.

He absolutely couldn't lose her, too.

Today marks day nine, and Wu Ji is happy to be feeling like himself again as well. She, on the other hand, is going a little stir crazy. The pacing hasn’t stopped.

He sits down at the table in the center of the room and pours them two cups of tea.

"Wu Ji ah, what do you think about getting us some new clothes?"

He looks down at his attire, confused. “What do you mean? We just washed these.”

Head still cocked, she crosses her arms and brings one hand up to her face, index finger beginning to tap her lips in way of deep thought. Wu Ji's eyes immediately follow her slim fingers up to said lips, mesmerized by the flush of deep color now that she has mostly recovered.

His own thoughts rush back to their kiss and he suddenly has the urge to taste.

She breaks his spell with her voice.

“I know they’re clean and new, and they were apt for when we were riding on oxcarts and harvesting rice fields… But—” She pauses, spreading out her arms and looking down at herself, those same lips forming a pout as her eyes make it back up to him.

“Don’t you think we should get something a little more appropriately formal to greet your Ming Sect?” Her pout turns into a tiny smirk. “You are, after all, Zhang Jiao Zhu of Ming Sect, almost-leader of all Wu Lin.”

He maybe registers that she is teasing him, but he is stuck in a haze of red red lips and pretty doe eyes. Wu Ji doesn’t know why, but his enchantment by her doesn’t go away and he doesn't think it ever will.

There’s a slight lilt in her tone that implies he has no room for argument, and Wu Ji will comply, but right now, all he can think is, I think you look perfect.

“Wai, Zhang Wu Ji, are you listening to me?”

He snaps out of his fog and nods slowly in a repeated manner. “Uh, y-yeah. Yes. New clothes. Appropriate for Ming Sect.”

The smirk is gone, and she is now smiling at him fondly, knowingly.

Wu Ji knows he is a goner.

Shortly after, they arrive at a fabric store, and Wu Ji is overwhelmed by the huge selection of textiles to choose from. There is an array of shades and hues and tones of colors that all look the same to him, but are definitely jade green and not emerald green according to the shopkeeper.

She soundly agrees with the salesman, and Wu Ji knows he is outnumbered.

He amusedly watches as she sifts through all the different rolls of linen and cotton and silk with care, discussing the history and production and quality of each one.

Her smile lights up the entire store, and Wu Ji realizes he can’t get enough of when her eyes glisten with joy, especially when they are directed at him.

“Wu Ji ah! What do you think of putting these colors together? I’ve already picked out the fabric for us.” He notes the giddiness in her voice and once again emphasizes his gratitude at the amount of progress her health has regained in the last few days.

“Feel how lightweight and smooth it is!”

She takes his hand, and Wu Ji’s heart skips a beat. Or two. Or ten.

The owner butts in, “It’s made from the finest silkworms in Chang An 長安 and will keep you warm in the winters and cool in the summers with the way the textile wicks.”

And when she haughtily tells him, “I know; that’s why I chose it,” Wu Ji remembers that he is dealing with a Jun Zhu 郡主 after all.

When she turns to Wu Ji, the arrogance is gone and her smile turns shy. “I chose white with gold and light blue accents for you. It’s going to look great on you, Wu Ji ah.”

Her infectious smile reflects on Wu Ji’s face as he nods, eyes focused solely on her.

“Lao ban, we will take these two rolls.” She pulls out the remaining banknotes she’d traded for with her jewelry and pays the shopkeeper. Upon seeing the stacks of paper money, the older man’s eyes perk up.

“Fu ren, you have utmost taste. These are the best my store has to offer. Your husband is very lucky to have such a thoughtful and attentive wife such as yourself.”

At this, Wu Ji can feel blood rush to his face as he peeks over to see that her cheeks are also flushed with a deeper pink. Their eyes meet, both pairs of lips graced with a shared smile, and he notes that neither of them corrects the shopkeeper.

Wu Ji hears her reprimand the owner for being nosey, and she states that he has a deadline of three days or they will come back to demand a full refund and tear his store sign down.

The older man immediately ushers them into different rooms to be measured by his tailors, and once their dimensions are taken down, the owner assures them his workers are the ablest workers in the whole city. Their orders will definitely be completed by the given timeframe.

Wu Ji watches and listens as she meticulously recites and finalizes each and every detail with the shopkeeper, who hangs on to her every word and writes them all down with diligence.

He knows she is putting extra care into his attire, going over threading, embroidery, trim, and more things Wu Ji doesn’t really understand.

What Wu Ji does register is that he agrees with the shopkeeper. He is the luckiest man in the world.

In less than two days, the owner of the tailor shop completes their outfits and delivers the finished clothes directly to their inn.

Wu Ji is amazed at the style and quality of it all.

She is bursting with excitement beside him and hurriedly makes him change into his garbs first.

Wu Ji is suddenly inside the room by himself and all he can do is stare at the pile of neatly folded, newly sewn threads. Next to it is their pre-packed bags, prepared for when they are ready to head back to Ming Sect.

He knows she is waiting, so he tries to shake himself out of the haze enough to put on the first layer. It is exactly as smooth and luxurious as she and the shopkeeper had described.

Silk. Wu Ji has heard of China’s impressive Silk Road, a network and crossroad of merchants infinitely seeking wealth and the powers it could bring them.

He glances back at the modest threads he had taken off, laid out neatly on the bed.

Wu Ji is unexpectedly apprehensive.

He gets flashes of Zhi Ruo and her enthusiasm from civilian chants, and he worries about her insinuation of what she wanted from Wu Ji once they were married. He hears the words Emperor and Sect Leader, and it makes his heart drop into his stomach. The burden these words entail make him anxious for a future he desperately wants to escape from.

These are all the things Wu Ji fears most.

He knows of his obligations as Jiao Zhu, his debt to his country, but once all the responsibilities on his shoulders are accomplished, he simply wants peace.

To Wu Ji, peace means finally being able to walk away. Peace means being with the girl he loves and finding their future together. Peace is freedom 自由自在.

There is a knockknockknock that brings Wu Ji back from his thoughts. He hears her voice come through from the other side of the door and lets the calmness it brings wash over him.

“Wu Ji ah, what’s taking you so long? Can I help?”

She waits for him. She always does.

Wu Ji opens the wooden doors, and she lingers there with a curious look on her face. He doesn’t know how she can ask him if he is okay with just one look and a slight raise of her brow, but his nerves have settled enough to form a smile.

“Will you help me?”

Curiosity fades into concern, but Wu Ji hopes his smile can ease her, if only for just a bit. She nods her head and steps inside the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

He forces the smile to remain on his face, and stands there in the middle of the room, arms slightly spread out, beckoning for her assistance.

She doesn’t move, and Wu Ji starts to feel self-conscious. He realizes he only has his first layer on—no waistband, no adornment, no robe. He feels laid out and exposed under her perceptive gaze, like there is absolutely nothing he can hide behind that she won’t see through.

As he frets, she makes her first deliberate steps toward him, and her uneasy expression morphs into a gentle determination.

She picks up the secondary layer of accented blues, and without exchanging any words, puts the robe on Wu Ji. She slowly helps him one sleeve at a time, her hands smoothing out every wrinkle that forms.

Her touch is electric.

With his arms still up and away from his body, Wu Ji is patient as he waits for her to pick up the matching waistband. The dark leather is stark against the milky complexion of her hands, and he watches as she evenly spaces out her grip on the belt.

She inches close enough to where he can distinctly perceive notes of plum blossoms at full bloom, and Wu Ji closes his eyes to savor the quietness of their proximity.

She first wraps the belt around his front as her arms gradually come around to the back of his waist, forming a half-moon and mock-embrace. She is so close to him, and Wu Ji breathes her in, trying to find his inner balance through her presence. When she wraps the band a second time, her hands meet and settle on his stomach, and she meticulously threads the end of the belt through the loop, fastening it on him.

“Wu Ji ah, it's okay.” Her small hands work methodically and thoroughly, and Wu Ji feels time slow with her words.

“If you don't like it, we can wear our other clothes again.” She reaches up and cups his face with one hand, fingers tenderly caressing his cheek. She nearly whispers. “I just want you to be happy.”

Wu Ji is frozen by her acknowledgment. “I-I'm not—” He finds it difficult to formulate his thoughts, but it seems he doesn't need to.

“I assure you, this doesn't change anything.”

Her gaze is soft under the midday sun peering in through the translucent windows. “Once you are done with what you need to do, we will leave together.”

She rests her head gently on his chest, eyes closing. “I won't let anyone make you wear anything it is you don't want to wear.” Her whisper is faint, but he catches the jest in her tone. “Only I get to do that.”

If Wu Ji could take her away with him in that very moment, he would. He feels an ache in his chest, a throbbing that stems from his inability to do just that.

The tension in his body releases and Wu Ji melds with the warmth of her embrace. She is moored to Wu Ji, an immovable anchor that grounds him in his present state of disquiet.

“Tell me. What do you want?”

Wu Ji is certain the future he envisions is right here in front of him.

There is confidence in his voice when he answers, “I want to wear this.”

She pulls away and beams. “Good. Let me help you finish dressing.” She puts the last layer on him, adding on the finishing touches to his outfit.

“In front of the whole world, you are Zhang Jiao Zhu.” He is in front of the mirror with her next to him, and Wu Ji knows he can get through anything if he has her. “But with me, you are simply my Wu Ji.”

He allows himself a few beats to take everything in. Her strength exudes through every pore in her body, and Wu Ji is lucky enough to be able to absorb it all in, feeding off of this addiction he had never before been able to identify.

What was it about her that had tantalized him from the start? That no matter how many times Wu Ji ran or tried to push her away, he could never succeed? He failed over and over again, even tried to marry someone else to forget about her, yet it was all for naught.

Of every woman Wu Ji has ever met, she was the most beautiful and ruthless, just like his mom had warned him. She had been the root cause of his downfall. This Mongolian Princess who now stands before him in humble clothes and open vulnerability, who had given up everything to be with him, and who understands Wu Ji through and through when even he can’t find his own reflection.

When Wu Ji’s internal and external demands and desires become too much, she is his haven.

“I love you.”

He sees the moment she freezes, lips slightly parted from his sudden confession.

Wu Ji knows he is going to marry this girl.

“Wh-what?”

“I love you.” His voice and eyes do not waver.

Wu Ji is still surprised by how tender her eyes can get when she looks at him and only him. When the tears begin to form and silently roll down her cheeks, he kisses them away. He cups her face with both of his hands and tastes every single drop with his lips, gentle and sweet. She closes her eyes, lashes fanning out stark against her skin and his, as Wu Ji’s lips travel from the edges of her bottom lash, down her cheek, and finally stopping at her cupid’s bow.

It starts out as a small, soft peck at the tip of her upper lip and morphs into hands resting in her hair and at the nape of her neck, heads tilting to melt into an arousing kiss.

It is nothing like their first kiss with all of Wu Ji’s pent-up passion boiling to the surface with nowhere to escape, but through her. The kiss was untamed, unrestrained, directed by a young man’s eagerness to finally being able to have what he had been denied for so long.

Everything he had been running from had finally caught up to him. Everything Wu Ji had wanted, he was able to have.

But this. Wu Ji wants to savor this. He takes his time, caressing her lips with his as they move in provocative unison. The kiss is slow and heady, seconds feeling like hours as Wu Ji concentrates on her honied taste, the feel of her plump lips, and the touch of lips and teeth and tongue, her soft hair framed by the spread of his hands.

Wu Ji takes the opportunity to nibble lightly on her bottom lip.

When he hears her moan, Wu Ji’s heart nearly stops. He uses all of his willpower to pull away, afraid he will take it too far and devour all of her.

They both take several deep breaths, still merely centimeters apart. Wu Ji presses his forehead to hers and kisses her gently on the tip of her nose. She smiles even when her eyes are still closed and it prompts the one on Wu Ji’s face as well.

A contented sigh escapes from her lips and Wu Ji nearly goes in to taste them again. She stops him with one finger to his lips. “If we keep this up, we are never going to leave this place. I still need to change, Wu Ji ah”

His sigh is less content and more exasperated, but he obliges. Wu Ji steals one last kiss on her cheek before leaving the room, most definitely not thinking about bare skin or red lips or the mole on her chest he had discovered on Snake Island.

After a few moments, Wu Ji is shaken out of his inappropriate thoughts when he hears the doors open.

When she steps out of the room, Wu Ji is, once again, awestruck by her beauty. She dons layers of sheer whites and ivories, face brushed with light makeup, and her hair is adorned with a simple pearl-encrusted hairpin.

Wu Ji truly doesn’t know what he has done to become so fortunate.

He puts out his hand, gaze blissfully fixed on hers. “Are you ready?”

Wu Ji remembers that with a nod and an upward curve of her lips, she’d laced her fingers through and curled them firmly around his, never once letting go as they made their journey back to Ming Sect together.

They hadn’t known what the future was going to hold for them, but they had walked towards it with hearts filled with hope.

Wu Ji still clings to that hope, his current path fueled by hope and hope alone.

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@LaurenPanna Truthfully just subbed it don't think too much about it, the most important is people can read and understand comfortably when watching it. Since Chinese language can convey so much with so little words, but you have to make long ar** explanation for it in English. And you've fallen into the biggest trap of free subbing, loving too much the chara and try to convey something. Just sub it and ppl can imagine it themselves what they want to think about the chara. You're just making yourself tired unnecessarily which is not good. People will already be grateful they can watch it in English for free, if they want proper sub with proper 'feeling', go buy the DVD/blu-ray.

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I am so Sorry that I am still at episode 35 subbing, will complete it by this weekend.

Wow salute and respect to those who can sub so fast (@kur4p1k4) . How did you guys do it!!

Especially at minmin dialogue, i have to rack my brain hard at how to make the translation feels like her way of speaking, that capture the essence of her characteristics. Lol.

Sorry if you read and realise it sounds more like me than her, just listen to her voice and look at her face to calm your heart. Lol lol lol

Made several amendments several times because of wrong description and wrong timing match with dialogue. But overall, It's really a great experience.

Chapter 35 is one of my favorite. I remember that episode as the big Pasha story and how WJ was always looking at Min-Min with those big endearing eyes....... I look forward to your subs - and again - it helps A LOT and I'm so thankful.

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@LaurenPanna Truthfully just subbed it don't think too much about it, the most important is people can read and understand comfortably when watching it. Since Chinese language can convey so much with so little words, but you have to make long ar** explanation for it in English. And you've fallen into the biggest trap of free subbing, loving too much the chara and try to convey something. Just sub it and ppl can imagine it themselves what they want to think about the chara. You're just making yourself tired unnecessarily which is not good. People will already be grateful they can watch it in English for free, if they want proper sub with proper 'feeling', go buy the DVD/blu-ray.

Thank your for subbing episode 42 as this is one of my favorite. I did tried to sub a little here and there in this episode and pretty sure you have to re subbed the whole episode at the end. Yeah, I kind of give up being a immature translator that I am. Salute to your hard works and times.

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Heard they cut away a scene in wuji memory lane with ZZR, they kept the memory of young zzr feeding him porridge and cut away the scene of handkerchief that was given to ZZR by wuji. And the scene of Yang Xiao ordering xiao zhao limbs to be lock up is gone.

I went ahead to check out the TVB version since you mentioned about those cut scenes. But the episode ended exactly like the mainland's version again so I wonder what the purpose of those cut scenes.

Lol....I kind of regretted after re watching this episode. WJ's actually like ZZR a lot that you can see him getting jealous of SQS liking ZR. The way he looked at her. WJ definitely can marry ZR if not for MM appearance and consistently chasing him and not giving up on their relationship.

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@jackieusa Lol, is there a flower there on WJ's hair? I don't mind really it's actually quite insightful since I skipped most the early episodes, thanks for the gifs. WJ liking ZR is normal they're old friend, he also like YL spunkiness and XZ kindness, but whether he loves them to the bone that's another matter entirely.

And WJ being jealous of SQS is also normal, SQS is by all account has better background than WJ, of course he's afraid ZR will like him better, it's like your position as best friend is being usurped by this guy. And we always forget WJ has been living alone for so many years and he probably never thinks about man-woman relationship, he's just trying to stay alive. He probably don't know how to differentiate his feelings yet. That's why sometimes I do feel like ZM is a bit cruel when he forced him to say whether he like ZR or not, in eps.28, he probably never thinks about it much.

TVB has shorter run time that's why they usually cut a minute or two to fit their 40 minutes schedule I think, even their op-ed songs are shorter than mainland

Are there people who skipped or at least fast forward the early episodes? I know the gist of the story that's why I can kind of just fast forward the boring part, for me anway

I only watched properly:

Any episode with YX in it

Teenager WJ in butterfly valley until he hand over YBH to YX

When WJ stand against Mie Jue

I start watching properly until the end is the episode where YX is arguing with the other Ming sect ppl and Cheng Kun arrived

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I went ahead to check out the TVB version since you mentioned about those cut scenes. But the episode ended exactly like the mainland's version again so I wonder what the purpose of those cut scenes.

Lol....I kind of regretted after re watching this episode. WJ's actually like ZZR a lot that you can see him getting jealous of SQS liking ZR. The way he looked at her. WJ definitely can marry ZR if not for MM appearance and consistently chasing him and not giving up on their relationship.

Totally can not blame the girls for getting wrong impression. ZWJ in ah niu persona even promised to marry YL and protect her a lifetime. ZWJ also starring ridiculously in an awe when XZ sung.

When i look at your gifs above, no wonder ZZR ignored the oath she sworn to MJST, ZWJ gave her the gaze of admiring.

Guys... This ZWJ is a caveman, he totally lost and failed in how to make proper human social relationships, even as a leader.

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I went ahead to check out the TVB version since you mentioned about those cut scenes. But the episode ended exactly like the mainland's version again so I wonder what the purpose of those cut scenes.

Lol....I kind of regretted after re watching this episode. WJ's actually like ZZR a lot that you can see him getting jealous of SQS liking ZR. The way he looked at her. WJ definitely can marry ZR if not for MM appearance and consistently chasing him and not giving up on their relationship.

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@jackieusa Lol, is there a flower there on WJ's hair? I don't mind really it's actually quite insightful since I skipped most the early episodes, thanks for the gifs. WJ liking ZR is normal they're old friend, he also like YL spunkiness and XZ kindness, but whether he loves them to the bone that's another matter entirely.

And WJ being jealous of SQS is also normal, SQS is by all account has better background than WJ, of course he's afraid ZR will like him better, it's like your position as best friend is being usurped by this guy. And we always forget WJ has been living alone for so many years and he probably never thinks about man-woman relationship, he's just trying to stay alive. He probably don't know how to differentiate his feelings yet. That's why sometimes I do feel like ZM is a bit cruel when he forced him to say whether he like ZR or not, in eps.28, he probably never thinks about it much.

TVB has shorter run time that's why they usually cut a minute or two to fit their 40 minutes schedule I think, even their op-ed songs are shorter than mainland

Are there people who skipped or at least fast forward the early episodes? I know the gist of the story that's why I can kind of just fast forward the boring part, for me anway

I only watched properly:

Any episode with YX in it

Teenager WJ in butterfly valley until he hand over YBH to YX

When WJ stand against Mie Jue

I start watching properly until the end is the episode where YX is arguing with the other Ming sect ppl and Cheng Kun arrived

Yeah, YL put the flower on his hair. She like to teased WJ just like MM did. I did watched all the earlier episodes but only once and don't really pay attention to the details. I usually re watch starting episode 18.

18 minutes ago, graceeedwardmom said:

Totally can not blame the girls for getting wrong impression. ZWJ in ah niu persona even promised to marry YL and protect her a lifetime. ZWJ also starring ridiculously in an awe when XZ sung.

When i look at your gifs above, no wonder ZZR ignored the oath she sworn to MJST, ZWJ gave her the gaze of admiring.

Guys... This ZWJ is a caveman, he totally lost and failed in how to make proper human social relationships, even as a leader.

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I went ahead to check out the TVB version since you mentioned about those cut scenes. But the episode ended exactly like the mainland's version again so I wonder what the purpose of those cut scenes.

Lol....I kind of regretted after re watching this episode. WJ's actually like ZZR a lot that you can see him getting jealous of SQS liking ZR. The way he looked at her. WJ definitely can marry ZR if not for MM appearance and consistently chasing him and not giving up on their relationship.

He definitely has a crush on ZR. But I think it's simply that -- a school crush. Like other people have said, after she stabbed him at Guang Min Peak he felt disheartened. Then it was perfect timing that he met Zhao Min who captivates him in many ways. She challenges him intellectually, she clearly indicates that she likes him so there's no confusion (less work for him), and she makes him feel aroused probably (I like to think that's why he gets shy). It was all the elements that were missing from his relationships with the other women. Once he met her, he got over all his other crushes.

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I went ahead to check out the TVB version since you mentioned about those cut scenes. But the episode ended exactly like the mainland's version again so I wonder what the purpose of those cut scenes.

Lol....I kind of regretted after re watching this episode. WJ's actually like ZZR a lot that you can see him getting jealous of SQS liking ZR. The way he looked at her. WJ definitely can marry ZR if not for MM appearance and consistently chasing him and not giving up on their relationship.

Spoiler

Ahhh! Watching this HURTS haha. I definitely skipped the first half of the series as I could only find Viet Sub at the time and didn't want to expend my poor Viet reading skills into pausing and reading pausing and reading until Zhao Min appeared lol.

God, Joseph's acting is SO. GOOD. If I didn't know any better and was a completely new fan and had no idea about ZM (since she appears sooooooo late), I would have maybe started shipping WJ and ZZR just by the way he looks at her alone. LOOK AT THOSE EYES. How could any of these girls resist him? I don't blame them for all going crazy over him haha

Thank you for sharing! It's so interesting how much I've missed lmao. (Also, it had to go under spoilers tag because IT HURTSSSSS to look at haha)